How To Plan And Create A Career Fair!
Erin's Career Fair at Yorkshire Elementary
June 11, 2007

Download Erin's Career Brochure pg 1, pg 2 Pictures From Career Day at Yorkshire Elementary	1. Select an audience for the career fair. Who do you want to attend to the career fair? What age groups would benefit the most? I made the career fair for fourth and fifth graders because they are quickly approaching middle school and are starting to think about their future.
	2. Make a list of types of jobs and careers you want to be represented at your career fair. Make sure these jobs are diverse and aren’t too similar. For example, I had jobs including a real estate agent, animal scientist, as well as a police officer.
	3. Look for people who are willing to volunteer their time to come speak at your career fair. I got names of people from the Resource Speakers list that Prince William County has provided to the schools. I contacted these people through email. Also, you can contact other organizations, such as the Police Department or the Fire Department in your area to find those willing to come to the career fair. I asked my fellow Girl Scouts to help and also sent an email to my minister at my church if she could help me with contacts.
	4. Decide how many speakers you want at your career fair. I chose to have 11 speakers. I think that 10-12 speakers are a good amount to have at your career fair.
	5. Plan the times and date. I recommend that your career fair should last from an hour to an hour and a half. My career fair was only an hour for each grade, but I got responses back saying that the kids wished that they had a bit more time.
	6. Plan how you want the career fair to be organized. I suggest that each speaker have their own station where they can personally talk to the students. Should the students wander around and go to whichever station they want to? Or should they be assigned to groups and be assigned to a particular station? When doing my career fair, I divided the fourth and fifth graders into groups and assign each group to certain stations. Each group had about 5 or 6 students. I allowed each group to 4 different stations, which I pre-assigned to them. I gave them 10 minutes at each station and blew a whistle when it was time for them to switch to the next station.
	7. Ask for volunteers to help you with the career fair. I asked my friends and girls in my troop to help lead around the groups of students, to help set-up and clean-up, as well as to take pictures and help with the overall event.
	8. Before the day of the career fair, send your speakers information about what to say or bring, as well as directions to get to the place. Tell them what you are expecting of them.
	9. Make sure that the students are participating in the career fair. I created a question sheet, which contains questions for the students to ask the speakers.
	10. Provide tables for the speakers to set up their stuff, as well as nametags and water bottles for their convenience.